Tag: rams schedule

Rams drew 2nd-worst schedule in terms of rest compared to their opponents

The Rams will be at a big disadvantage when it comes to rest this season, owning the 2nd-worst rest edge in the league

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We already knew the Rams’ 2023 schedule was going to be tough just by looking at their list of opponents. With the 49ers, Bengals, Eagles, Cowboys, Packers and Ravens all on the docket, the Rams were going to be tested this season, no matter when those games took place.

Well, now that the schedule has been laid out, Los Angeles’ slate of games is even more difficult thanks to the rest differential with its opponents.

FOX Sports’ Warren Sharp calculated every team’s net rest edge, which essentially tells us the difference in days off between games compared to their opponents. For example, if a team coming off a bye is facing a team that just played on Sunday, the team coming off a bye would have a rest edge of +7, for the extra 7 days off they’ll have before the game.

For the Rams, only one team has a worse net rest edge: the 49ers. The Rams’ total comes in at -17, meaning they’ll have 17 fewer days of rest than their opponents this season. The 49ers are last in the NFL at -20. The Jets, Bears and Commanders have the best rest edges in the league at +12.

The problem for the Rams lies in the fact that they’ll face four teams coming off a bye: the Steelers in Week 7, the Cowboys in Week 8, the Ravens in Week 14 and the Commanders in Week 15. They also have one other game where the Rams have a -1 rest edge because they play the Bengals on Monday night in Week 3, followed by a road trip against the Colts in Week 4 – one fewer day of rest than the Colts will have that week.

Being a West Coast team, the Rams are no strangers to brutal travel schedules, and this year, they’ll fly the fourth-most miles of any team in the league. But adding in a negative rest edge makes matters even worse.

At the very least, the Rams should be healthier than they were last season when they lost several starters and had to start 11 different offensive line groups in the first 11 weeks, which was one of the biggest issues for Los Angeles last season.

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Rams projected to finish above .500 in 2023 by CBS Sports

With the full schedule out, CBS Sports’ Will Brinson projected the Rams’ final record and he’s more confident in them than most experts

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Oddsmakers have set the Rams’ win total between 6.5 and 7.5, and even as low as those numbers are, most experts are predicting them to finish with seven or fewer victories in 2023. CBS Sports’ Will Brinson is not among that contingent of doubters, however.

Brinson predicted the final record for every team in the NFL and he’s surprisingly confident in the Rams despite their roster holes and lack of top-end talent. Brinson predicts the Rams to finish 9-8 this season, which would be Sean McVay’s sixth season with a record above .500.

Brinson cites his affinity for Matthew Stafford, as well as the Rams’ bad injury luck in 2022 as reasons for him believing they can go 9-8 this season.

Probably the biggest differential between the Vegas line and my projection. Some will claim it’s my noted affinity for Matthew Stafford but it has much more to do with a weakened NFC, trusting Sean McVay and believing injuries won’t stifle this team like they did in 2022. L.A. (146.5) was right behind Denver (148.5) for most Adjusted Games Lost last year, which could signal some improvement. Go 2-2 out of the gate or better and the Rams might be going full Undertaker GIF. 

The Rams will be tested right away in 2023, facing the Seahawks on the road, followed by a home game against the 49ers and a road trip against the Bengals in the first three weeks. They’ll also host the Eagles in Week 5 after visiting the Colts in Week 4. With four playoff teams in the first five weeks, the Rams may need to win that matchup with Indianapolis in order to keep their season from falling apart early on.

Though they moved on from several stars this offseason, including Jalen Ramsey and Bobby Wagner, they do still have Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald. If those three can stay healthy, which they failed to do last season, the Rams will have a chance to sneak into the playoffs in a weak NFC.

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3 tough stretches on Rams’ schedule that could define their 2023 season

There are 3 difficult stretches on the Rams’ schedule, beginning with the first 3 games of the season

If the Los Angeles Rams are going to have a successful season and make the playoffs, they’ll need to overcome what’s viewed as a difficult schedule. When looking at their 17-game slate, there are three specific stretches that could end up deciding their season.

There are three-game stretches at the beginning of the season, right in the middle and at the very end that the Rams will have to play well during. If they go 1-2 or 0-3 during any or all of those stretches, it could cost them a playoff spot.

Let’s look at those three three-game stretches, beginning with a brutal open to the season for Los Angeles.

Rams’ all-time record vs. each opponent on 2023 schedule

All-time, the Rams have a winning record against just 5 of the 14 teams on their 2023 schedule

The Los Angeles Rams will face 14 teams in 2023, some of which they’ve faced fewer than 10 times. Their all-time records against their 14 opponents won’t have any bearing on the outcome of each game in 2023, but the Rams have been better against some teams than others.

Take a look at their all-time record against each of the 14 teams on their schedule this season, including their postseason performances against the 12 teams they’ve faced in the playoffs.

Rams were handed a brutal scheduling quirk in 2023

The Rams and 49ers will each face 4 teams coming off a bye in 2023, twice as many as every other team in the NFL

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The road for the Rams in 2023 is not going to be easy, facing seven teams that made the playoffs last season – including the Eagles, Bengals and Cowboys. They also have a brutal travel schedule, flying the fourth-most miles of any team in the NFL.

For a team that went 5-12 last season, some expected the Rams to have an easier slate than they do, but this is just the way their schedule broke down. They’ll be at a disadvantage when it comes to rest in four of their games, too.

As pointed out by ProFootballTalk, the Rams and 49ers will each face four teams coming off bye weeks. That’s two more than any other team in the NFL.

The Rams’ freshly rested opponents will be the Steelers in Week 7, Dallas in Week 8, the Ravens in Week 14 and the Commanders in Week 15. So in two instances, the Rams will face opponents in consecutive weeks following a bye.

That’s a clear advantage for the opponent because they’ll have had extra time to not only rest and recover, but also to prepare for the Rams. Los Angeles will need to be at its best in those four games because they could prove to be pivotal matchups, especially the two late in the season.

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Rams’ 5 biggest games on the 2023 schedule

Rams-49ers in Week 2 will be a massive matchup for Los Angeles early in the season

The spotlight may be off the Los Angeles Rams after a 5-12 season in 2022, but there are still some marquee matchups on their schedule this season. The full 18-week slate was revealed on Thursday night and though it only features two prime-time games for the Rams, they’ll face teams such as the Eagles, Cowboys and Bengals.

Of course, the Rams will also take on the 49ers twice, including an early Week 2 matchup at home that could set the tone for Los Angeles’ season.

With the full schedule out, we view these five games as the biggest – not necessarily the toughest – on the Rams’ 2023 slate.

Sean McVay loves that the Rams will start season vs. 3 playoff teams from 2022

Sean McVay loves that the Rams will be tested by the Seahawks, 49ers and Bengals in the first 3 weeks

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The NFL isn’t giving the Los Angeles Rams any time to ease into the 2023 season. They’ll be tested right away with three consecutive games against playoff teams from last season in the first three weeks: at Seattle, versus the 49ers and at the Bengals.

Those teams combined to go 34-16 last season, each making the postseason – with the 49ers and Bengals winning their divisions. We’ll quickly learn what type of team the Rams will be in 2023, either a pleasant surprise or a group that can’t compete with the best in the NFL.

Sean McVay welcomes the challenge of facing three playoff teams to start the year and he’s looking forward to getting started with his team.

“I think you love it,” McVay said on NFL Network Thursday night. “That’s what’s great about the NFL. Three playoff teams. Obviously, tremendous respect and we have familiarity. There’s been continuity on all three of those staffs. But they’ve earned the right, they’ve done a great job. Seattle’s always a great place to play. Tremendous respect for those guys, but this is why you get into this. You love these challenges and looking forward to competing with this team and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

After facing those three teams to begin the year, the Rams will then take on the Colts and Eagles in the following two weeks. They should be able to beat the Colts, who might be starting a rookie quarterback, but it’s possible Los Angeles will start the year 1-4 in that tough stretch.

The Rams’ entire schedule is pretty difficult, featuring additional matchups with the Cowboys, Packers and Ravens. But things can’t get much worse than their 5-12 record from a season ago, especially if they’re able to stay healthy.

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Rams to hold joint practices with Raiders before preseason game

The Rams and Raiders will hold joint practices again this summer before their preseason game

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Before the Los Angeles Rams host the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 2 of the preseason, the two teams will practice together in the days leading up to that game. Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that the Rams and Raiders will hold joint practices before their exhibition game, which is exactly what they did in 2021.

Joint practices often result in fights and scuffles breaking out, but the Rams find a lot of value in those practice sessions because they don’t play their starters in the preseason. In joint practices, Sean McVay can control the circumstances a bit because players aren’t wrapping up and bringing ball carriers to the ground when tackling. That reduces the risk of injury, which McVay sees value in.

The last time the Rams and Raiders practiced together, a brawl broke out and caused the session to be cut short by about 45 minutes. Hopefully this time around, tempers won’t flare and the two teams can get in a couple of good days of practice.

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Rams announce 3-game preseason schedule, all against AFC West teams

The Rams’ preseason schedule will feature 3 games against AFC West teams, all at 6 p.m. PT

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Before the Los Angeles Rams begin their regular-season slate on Sept. 10 against the Seattle Seahawks, they’ll play three preseason games. They announced their preseason schedule, which features two home games and a total of three contests against AFC West foes – a common trend for the Rams since moving to Los Angeles.

Here’s how their preseason schedule looks.

  1. Aug. 12 vs. Chargers – 6 p.m. PT
  2. Aug. 19 vs. Raiders – 6 p.m. PT
  3. Aug. 26 at Broncos – 6 p.m. PT

This is the exact same preseason slate the Rams had in 2021 when they went 0-3 against the Broncos, Raiders and Chargers. We all know how the regular season and playoffs went, though, so it’s not as if their winless preseason had a negative effect on them.

The Rams never play their starters in the preseason so don’t expect to see Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp or Aaron Donald until Week 1 of the regular season. But with so many potential young starters on this team, we’ll see a lot of rookies and second-year players on the field this summer.

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Rams 2023 schedule: Game-by-game score predictions

Predicting the final score of every game on the Rams’ schedule

We finally know when the Rams will face each of their 14 opponents this season after the 2023 schedule was released on Thursday night. And although it’s extremely early – the season doesn’t begin for another four months – it’s fun to predict which games the Rams will win and which ones they could lose.

It’s by no means an easy schedule, but there are certainly some winnable games out there. And even with as barren as the roster looks right now, it’s not hard to see the Rams winning between seven and 10 games. Obviously, injuries and poor play from younger players could also lead to another 5-12 campaign.

We went game by game and predicted the final score of each one, ending up with a record near .500 for Los Angeles. It won’t land them the No. 1 pick, nor will they probably get into the playoffs with an 8-9 record, which might be a worst-case scenario for this rebuilding team.